Pune: Starting today, a six-part Marathi short film series on youth and mental health

The screening of each film will be followed by a Facebook live session with Dr Dabholkar, the film’s director and a subject expert.

Along with noted theatre director and actor Atul Pethe and others, Dabholkar had several years ago embarked on an initiative Manas Rang (colours of the mind) that used theatre, songs, drama and offered a platform to patients with mental health problems to vent their emotions like fear, hysteria and even talk about issues like schizophrenia.

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Dabholkar soon connected with Pune-based filmmaker and film educator Anupam Barve and others to make short films on issues centred on mental health and youth. “Soon enough Maitreyee Kulkarni, Alok Rajwade and Parna Pethe and I got together and started a company called Rakhadi Studio and identified six issues. While Maitreyee wrote the script, Alok and I directed three films each while Parna is the creative producer,” Barve said.

Monday’s short film in Marathi focuses on Arjun, a youth in his early 20s who returns home drunk every day and a surprise his mother has in store. The first episode features Geetanjali Kulkarni and Shivraj Waichal. After the screening, noted film director and actor Nagraj Manjule will engage in a conversation with Dr Dabholkar and share his experiences.